Idle Mage in the Game’s Academy – Chapter 102

102 — Wars Often Start from Small Reasons

1

In world history, many great wars have broken out.

The First World War, the Second World War, the Hundred Years’ War, the Korean War, and so on.

War is something you can’t leave out of history, and the causes of war are described in many different ways.

But if you look back, you’ll see that the trigger for many wars started from something very small.

Anyone with a little interest in history would know this.

Before it escalates into a major event, people’s emotions have already been twisted.

This situation was no different.

The current conflict between commoners and nobles, with Kael at the center.

Commoners had no respect for the nobles who protected this land, and nobles looked down on the commoners who formed the foundation.

“Hey—.”

“We’ll sign for you, so don’t waste your talents with commoners.”

“Yeah. Do you even know? In all eight kingdoms and the empire, there are plenty of opportunities for commoners to become nobles, right?”

The nobles looked at the commoner students with disdain.

That’s because the commoners were trying to pull down those who already had without making efforts themselves.

The door to success was always open.

That was how the empire, and this continent, had survived.

For centuries, the world had been stable, and commoners became content with their position.

Instead of striving to achieve, they merely grew fat by feeding on what came down from above.

“Does it really work that way? Do you know how many common-born nobles aren’t even treated properly?”

“Do you treat first-year students like seniors?”

The verbal battle was getting increasingly heated.

Kael’s expression was starting to darken.

Whoever had sent these people, they had made a wrong choice.

This chaotic state was not what Kael had wanted.

Why did things keep going wrong? She felt nothing but frustration.

Voices were growing louder, and soon enough, they began hurling insults they shouldn’t have.

“Just because you were lucky to have rich parents, you think you can act all high and mighty—.”

“And what about you? Did you turn out so crude because you were unlucky to have poor ones?”

“Stop it.”

Kael spoke quietly.

Although she had said it in a low, almost muttering voice, everyone heard her clearly.

A silence fell over the noisy scene.

Before they knew it, they were all overwhelmed by the mana Kael was emitting.

“Whether commoners or nobles, it doesn’t matter. If you want to sign, then do it and leave.”

“…Fine. We acted inappropriately.”

“Yeah… This isn’t the place for this.”

“You better make the right choice, Kael.”

Everyone nodded in agreement with Kael’s words.

Some even gave her warnings as they walked away.

As long as they were in the academy, that wasn’t the main issue.

Holding a public debate in the corridors, drawing everyone’s attention, was a disadvantage to all involved.

Even more so because the professors and the headmaster, those who practically ran the academy, did not view the conflict between nobles and commoners favorably.

If they kept fighting by dividing into factions like this, there would inevitably be consequences.

If Kael hadn’t intervened, some of them might have ended up getting on someone’s bad side.

“Congratulations on getting all ten signatures. Now you’ll have to study hard.”

“…Thank you.”

In the end, two nobles and two commoners signed for her before leaving.

It felt like a storm had passed.

The Black Eagle students said this as they left:

“Think carefully about what we said.”

“Phew… Those guys, they’re just beating their own drum, aren’t they?”

“Hmm? Yeah… I guess so.”

The man with blue hair said.

He was a Deer Class student who had known the Flois family for a long time and had decided to help her friend.

He shook his head.

“Nice to meet you. Your name was Kael, right? I’m Drine. I’m a commoner too… and I also want to move up.”

“Nice to meet you.”

Drine, who had signed last, had a gentle smile.

Suddenly, Kael became curious.

The Flois family was noble, so how did Drine know them?

But that wasn’t important now.

Kael gathered her application form and began to walk away.

Drine watched her retreating figure and muttered softly.

“My Lady, is this the friend you mentioned…?”

He swallowed his words and turned around.

What was the name of that group again? Leveli-Malito?

He strongly suspected that they would be making a move soon as well.

They had always operated out of the professors’ sight.

Perhaps even among the professors, there were unspoken conflicts.

What should he do—?

Drine’s eyes gleamed as he scanned the academy’s interior.

A place that was peaceful today as well.

However, a large nail had been driven into the dam holding back that peace.

Drine looked back at Kael.

‘I can only hope she doesn’t get swept away by the rapid currents.’

Small conflicts would eventually escalate into larger battles.

Human relationships.

Hierarchies.

The desire to subdue others.

Sadism.

All these negative emotions would swirl and create ugly outcomes.

“No matter who it is, my goal remains the same.”

As he moved, a strange voice reached him.

“Huh? Then can I go too?”

“Hmm?”

He looked back, but no one was there.

Did I mishear something one of my friends said nearby? Drine thought, moving on.

2

“You worked hard. Still, you did well to get them all.”

“Thank you.”

“Oh, about your friend.”

“Yes?”

The assistant hesitated over whether to mention it.

Saying something about only one side of the story seemed a bit… unfair.

Life should be fair, after all.

“She seems to worry about you a lot. Even if she said otherwise—.”

“I see.”

Kael smiled faintly.

But she couldn’t approach her yet.

She would hear the full story from Anais.

Yes, there was no way Anais genuinely hated her.

Kael felt a little, just a little better.

The discomfort from all the talk about nobles and commoners washed away.

“Good luck. If you become the Student Council President, it’ll be the first time in a long while.”

A commoner becoming Student Council President.

It was a rare occurrence within the academy, and all of them had ended up taking on noble titles.

The talks about discrimination and all started from this point.

However, these individuals gradually built up the prestige of their families based on their outstanding intelligence and talent.

Weakened families faded into the annals of history, replaced by new ones.

Lately, though, such people had become rare.

“I’ve only read about it in books, so I’m not sure, but hang in there.”

“Thank you.”

Kael bowed slightly and left the room.

She let out a self-mocking laugh.

What would people say if they found out about her true identity?

Some would be happy, while others would feel betrayed.

The relationships she had built so far might all become twisted.

Suddenly, she wanted to see someone.

As if drawn by some force, she found herself heading toward the training grounds.

3

Sweat dripped down.

Manus had been observing Anais over the past few days.

What form of weapon should he use in Matu studies?

Jennifer had mentioned unleashing invisible energy, and Melanie had said she would borrow the power of spirits.

So what about him?

Manus thought simply.

He had grown up immersed in various media.

His head was filled with visions of realizing those romantic ideals.

“Have you still not decided?”

“…I just thought of something.”

Simplicity was best.

Something easy to imagine, easy to handle.

And yet, something that could be a powerful weapon.

Manus threw a light punch.

Pah!

The air exploded.

Whoosh!

He opened his hand, formed a blade, and swung it, creating a gust that cut through the air.

“That’s an interesting idea. How do you plan to defend?”

“I’ll have to research that a bit more.”

This was fun.

Even Jennifer couldn’t help but be impressed.

When teaching those with talent in Matu studies, one thing was always consistent.

They became obsessed with being special and constantly tried to create something unique.

It was Jennifer’s primary concern and the aspect that took the most time to correct.

Something familiar, powerful, and rationally designed for humans to handle.

That was the human body itself.

“You’ve made a wise choice. The human body, if well-trained, can be a formidable weapon. Of course, this assumes one can handle mana proficiently and has mastered Matu studies.”

“…Yes.”

“Combat techniques practiced by warriors and guardians are highly valuable for self-defense. A punch imbued with mana can even dent armor. However, fighting is ultimately secondary for them.”

Warriors and guardians generally fought using their primary weapons, turning to combat techniques only to create variables or when both primary and secondary weapons became unusable.

In contrast, those skilled in Matu had to confront their enemies with bare hands, without any primary or secondary weapons.

They honed their physical abilities to the extreme and conducted endless research to fully utilize their bodies.

Martial artists who had to face blades and magic unarmed.

“I was considering whether structured teaching was necessary, but it seems it won’t be. From tomorrow, we’ll spar.”

“Understood.”

“You know your homework, right? You’ve solved offense; now you need to figure out defense.”

Otherwise, it might hurt quite a bit.

Jennifer chuckled strangely as she left the training grounds.

Melanie was developing her unique weapon by incorporating elemental magic into Matu studies.

Her rate of improvement was remarkably faster than in the original story.

Boom!

A fiery punch, reminiscent of a famous pirate comic, crossed the training grounds.

Her training had already become something of a spectacle within the academy.

A mage wielding Matu techniques through the power of spirits.

“Hey! If you don’t leave now, I’ll make you take my class by force!”

“We’re sorry—!”

Those who had been secretly watching were caught by Jennifer.

She usually didn’t allow spectators, citing that they could distract the students.

Those who sometimes came near the training grounds to watch were often chased away like this.

How intense must her classes be to get such a reaction?

Jennifer smirked slightly and slowly disappeared.

Another fulfilling day of training had ended.

Melanie wiped away her sweat and bowed deeply.

“Thank you for today.”

“It seems like you’re getting the hang of it.”

“Yes. I’d like to try it out in the Tower.”

“That’s a good idea.”

Starting from the lower floors would be feasible.

When it comes to physical training, repetition is key.

Manus also planned to head to the Tower today.

He was curious about how effective Matu studies would be against the Patrollers.

And—

‘It’s about time to get my gear, too.’

From the second Demonium onward, the difficulty increased sharply.

Given the matters related to his family, it was time to get his equipment ready.

There should be a few items the Patrollers would definitely drop, right?

“This will be fun.”

Today’s party members were Anais, Albion, and Aden.

Maybe I should take a bath.

While he was lost in his thoughts, he noticed a woman approaching briskly from a distance.

“…Another counseling session, I guess.”

His muttering scattered futilely into the empty air.

–TL Notes–
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